In the past epoch, before the war, opportunism was often considered, although an "deviation" and "extremity," nonetheless a legitimate constituent part of the social-democratic party. The war demonstrated the impossibility of this in the future. Opportunism had "matured," had carried through to its conclusion its role as emissary of the bourgeoisie in the workers' movement. Unity with opportunists has become sheer hypocrisy, an example of which we see in the German social-democratic party. Opportunists in all important cases (for example, in the voting of August 4th) come forward with their ultimatum, carrying it into practice by means of their numerous connections with the bourgeoisie, their majority in the leadership of the trade unions, and so forth. Unity with opportunists now means in fact the subjugation of the working class to "its own" national bourgeoisie, alliance with it for the oppression of foreign nations and for the struggle for great-power privileges, while constituting a split in the revolutionary proletariat of all countries.

However difficult the struggle against the opportunists who dominate in many organizations may be in individual cases, however peculiar may be the process of cleansing the workers' parties of opportunists in individual countries, this process is inevitable and fruitful. Reformist socialism is dying; socialism being reborn "will be revolutionary, uncompromising, insurrectionary," according to the apt expression of the French socialist Paul Golay{220}.